First Edition: October 11, 2019

Kaiser Health News: Taking The Cops Out Of Mental Health-Related 911 Rescues
Every day that Janet van der Laak drives between car dealerships in her sales job, she keeps size 12 shoes, some clothes and a packed lunch — a PB&J sandwich, fruit and a granola bar — beside her in case she sees her 27-year-old son on the streets. “’Jito, come home,” she always tells him, using a Spanish endearment. There he can have a bed and food, but her son, Matt Vinnola, rarely returns home. If he does, it is temporary. The streets are easier for him. Home can be too peaceful. (Dawson, 10/11)

California Healthline: As Vaping Illnesses Rise, So Do Pleas To Quit-Smoking Help Lines
Even though “quitlines” were designed to help people kick cigarette habits, calls and texts from people who use e-cigarettes are climbing as more people fall ill with a mysterious and devastating respiratory illness linked to vaping. Health officials are investigating 1,080 cases in 48 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands, including at least 18 deaths. In California, more than 110 residents have fallen ill, at least two of whom died, according to the California Department of Public Health. (Almendrala, 10/10)

Kaiser Health News: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Trump Merges Health And Immigration
President Donald Trump has merged two of his favorite hot-button topics by requiring new immigrants to either purchase health insurance within 30 days of arrival or prove they can pay for medical expenses on their own. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear an abortion case out of Louisiana and could soon take another from Indiana. Either or both could be used to weaken or possibly roll back Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. (10/10)

Politico: Senate Democrats Seek To Reverse Trump's Regulations On Health Care, Taxes, Environment
Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats will pursue a series of votes in the coming weeks to roll back some of President Donald Trump’s regulations on health care, taxes and the environment. ... Senate Democrats will also force votes on rolling back the administration’s greenlighting skimpier health care plans that do not meet the standards of the Affordable Care Act. They will also hit back at regulations preventing workarounds to part of the 2017 tax cut law, which put a $10,000 ceiling on the federal tax deduction for state and local taxes, a limit that’s largely affected taxpayers in New York, New Jersey and California, along with a few other states. (Everett and Adragna, 10/10)

Modern Healthcare: States Take Back Control Of Their ACA Marketplaces
More states are taking control of their health insurance marketplaces to take advantage of cost savings, increase their autonomy, and support wide-ranging health reform efforts, according to a new report Thursday. Several states are planning or mulling a move from HealthCare.gov, a federal health insurance marketplace established under the Affordable Care Act to help individuals find coverage, to state-run platforms. Maine, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Oregon are among the states thinking about making the switch. (Brady, 10/10)

The Hill: PhRMA CEO Warns Pelosi Bill To Lower Drug Prices Would Be 'Devastating' For Industry 
The head of the main pharmaceutical industry lobbying group on Thursday warned that a bill to lower drug prices from Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) would have a “devastating” effect on the industry and weaken its ability to develop new treatments. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) is one of the most powerful groups in Washington, and its CEO, Steve Ubl, outlined on Thursday the arguments the group is making as it seeks to ward off a push from the House, Senate and Trump administration to crack down on its prices. (Sullivan, 10/10)

The Hill: House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey To Retire 
House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) on Thursday announced she will retire at the end of this Congress and not seek reelection in 2020. The 82-year-old New York Democrat was first elected to Congress in 1988 and rose to become the most senior member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee — and the first woman to hold the post. Before becoming a lawmaker, Lowey served as assistant secretary of state for the state of New York. (Brufke, 10/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Government Watchdog Faults Trump Administration’s Approval Of Medicaid Work Requirements
The Trump administration has approved states’ plans to impose work requirements on people who get Medicaid even though estimated implementation costs are in the hundreds of millions of dollars, a federal oversight report said Thursday. The Government Accountability Office said in the report that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services allowed states to add work requirements without requiring projections on the administrative costs, which is inconsistent with federal control standards. The administrative costs of the programs aren’t transparent to the public, based on the report, and aren’t included in calculations ensuring they don’t cause additional federal spending. (Armour, 10/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Trump Signs Executive Order To Offset Agencies’ Increased Administrative Spending
The White House on Thursday announced a new effort aimed at reining in spending at federal agencies by requiring them to offset administrative actions that boost mandatory spending with cuts elsewhere. The order, which President Trump signed Thursday, would apply to any agency actions not required by law, including new rules, guidance or program notices. If an agency head determines such action would affect mandatory spending on expenses such as Social Security they would have to submit a proposal to the Office of Management and Budget “to comparably reduce mandatory spending,” according to the order. (Davidson and Restuccia, 10/10)

The Associated Press: 2020 Democratic Candidates Pledge Support To LGBTQ Community
Addressing an LGBTQ community fearful that their gains in equality are slipping, Democratic presidential candidates on Thursday promised an aggressive agenda to end workplace discrimination, improve health care and ensure protections for people who face threats, or worse, because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. At a televised forum in downtown Los Angeles, rivals for the party's nomination to challenge President Donald Trump took turns criticizing the Republican administration and detailing personal stories to underline their points before an audience of LGBTQ members, activists and supporters. (Blood, 10/10)

Los Angeles Times: Democrats Vow To Reverse Trump Rollback Of LGBTQ Rights
In back-to-back appearances at a CNN town hall in Los Angeles, the Democrats sketched out similar agendas on LGBTQ issues. One after another, they vowed to reverse President Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military and to outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The most warmly received candidate was Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., who spoke at the last primary debate about his decision to publicly come out as gay soon after returning from war. (Finnegan, 10/10)

Politico: LBGTQ Forum Highlights Biden And Warren's Contrasting Styles
Asked what [Warren] would do to ensure passage of the Equality Act in the Senate, where Republicans currently hold the majority, Warren stressed that voters have to elect more Democrats into the upper chamber because LGBTQ protections are a priority for the Democratic Party and she wants to send a message to her GOP colleagues. “We believe that equal means equal everywhere,” Warren said of Democrats. “I also say it because I want our Republican friends to hear that in the United States Senate. I want them to know that people vote based on LGBTQ issues. So I’m willing to continue to push Mitch McConnell right now, but my No. 1 goal is to make sure that he is not the majority leader come January 2021.” (McCaskill, 10/11)

CNN: 9 Takeaways From CNN's Equality Town Hall
Judy Shepard, one of the nation's foremost LGBTQ rights figures, was on hand for CNN's town hall Thursday night and asked former Vice President Joe Biden how he would reduce hate crimes against LGBTQ and marginalized communities. Shepard is the mother of Matthew Shepard, the gay 21-year-old University of Wyoming student whose 1998 murder is one of the nation's highest-profile hate crimes against LGBTQ people. ... Biden -- like other Democrats -- stressed the importance of passing the Equality Act, saying it would come "first and foremost." (Bradner, Merica, Krieg, Reston and Rocha, 10/11)

CNN: Beto O'Rourke: Conversion Therapy 'Should Be Illegal' And Is 'Tantamount To Torture'
Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas said on Thursday that conversion therapy "should be illegal" and compared the widely discredited practice that seeks to change the sexual orientation of gays, lesbians and bisexuals to torture. "As president, we will seek to outlaw it everywhere in this country," the Democratic candidate said Thursday at an LGBTQ town hall hosted by CNN and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. "In my opinion, this is tantamount to torture. Torture that we're visiting on children who are absolutely defenseless." (Merica and Sullivan, 10/10)

CNN: Booker Cites Bible When Asked About LGBTQ Rights
2020 Democratic presidential candidate Cory Booker (D-NJ) says he has had to deal with people "using religion as a justification for discrimination" all of his life, and goes on to cite a verse in the Bible to support his idea that religion and LGBTQ rights can coexist. (10/11)

USA Today: Trans Women Of Color The Focus Of Protestors Who Interrupt CNN Town Hall
Audience members interrupted a CNN LGBTQ town hall on Thursday night multiple times, raising banners and calling attention to violence against transgender women of color. They first interrupted Pete Buttigieg’s opening answer, walking to the front of the room just as the South Bend, Indiana, mayor and Democratic presidential candidate was beginning to answer a question. They were holding up a transgender pride flag with the words "we are dying" written on it, shouting “Trans people are dying!” and "Do something!" (Behrmann, 10/10)

The New York Times: At CNN Equality Town Hall, Activists Took The Spotlight, And The Mic
After they had quieted down, Mr. Buttigieg turned to them, saying, “I do want to acknowledge what these demonstrators were speaking about, which is the epidemic of violence against black trans women in this country right now.” He continued, “And I believe or would like to believe that everybody here is committed to ending that epidemic, and that does include lifting up its visibility and speaking to it.” Another member of the audience interrupted Senator Kamala Harris of California, and while shouting, asked, “How do we get those men to stop killing trans women of color? We are hunted.” “I know,” Ms. Harris said, addressing the questioner, “I know.” (Medina, 10/10)

Reuters: U.S. Urged To 'Turn Off Hate' After Suicide Of LGBT+ Teen
The suicide of a 16-year-old who was cyberbullied over sexually explicit messages he exchanged with another boy shows acceptance - including legal support - is key to improving mental health, LGBT+ advocates said on World Mental Health Day on Thursday. U.S. teenager Channing Smith killed himself on the night of Sept. 22 after being "humiliated" by screenshots of his messages which were posted on social media by fellow students, his brother Joshua Smith told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. (10/10)

Politico: Bernie Sanders: Voters Have A ‘Right To Know’ About My Health
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said Thursday he’ll make his medical records public at the “appropriate time.” “People do have a right to know about the health of a senator and someone running for president,” Sanders told CNN’s Sanjay Gupta in a live interview at his Burlington, Vt. home. “At the appropriate time we'll make all the medical records public for you or anyone else who wants to see them.” (Semones, 10/10)

The Hill: Sanders Opens Up About Heart Attack In Attempt To Assuage Health Concerns 
Sanders said he and his staff headed to an Urgent Care in Las Vegas after he experienced pain in his arm before he was quickly diagnosed with having a heart attack. The senator said he then underwent a 45 minute procedure at Desert Springs Hospital. Sanders told Gupta that his doctors informed him that he was "on the road to a full recovery." (Manchester, 10/10)

The New York Times: New E.P.A. Lead Standards Would Slow Replacement Of Dangerous Pipes
The Trump administration on Thursday proposed new regulations on lead and copper in drinking water, updating a nearly 30-year-old rule that may have contributed to the lead-tainted water crisis in Flint, Mich., that began in 2015. The draft plan, announced by the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, Andrew Wheeler, at a news conference in Green Bay, Wis., includes some provisions designed to strengthen oversight of lead in drinking water. But it skips a pricey safety proposal advocated by public health groups and water utilities: the immediate replacement of six million lead pipes that connect homes to main water pipes. The proposed new rule would also more than double the amount of time allotted to replace lead pipes in water systems that contain high levels of lead. (Davenport, 10/10)

The Associated Press: EPA Proposes Rewrite Of Rules On Lead Contamination In Water
Contrary to regulatory rollbacks in many other environmental areas, the administration has called dealing with lead contamination in drinking water a priority. Communities and families in Flint, Michigan, Newark, New Jersey, and elsewhere have had to grapple with high levels of lead in tap water and with regulatory failures dealing with the health threat. Lead in drinking water has been linked to developmental delays in children and can damage the brain, red blood cells and kidneys. It is most often caused by lead service lines — pipes connecting a home to a water main — or lead fixtures in a home or school. (Knickmeyer, 10/10)

The Washington Post: For The First Time In Decades, EPA Is Overhauling How Communities Must Test For Lead In Water
The EPA’s revamped rule, which has been in the works since 2010, is meant to provide what the agency called a “proactive and holistic approach” to more reliably identify elevated lead levels across 68,000 public water systems and to force utilities to tackle problems faster. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler called the proposal “a major milestone” in a news conference Thursday afternoon in Wisconsin. (Dennis, 10/10)

The Wall Street Journal: EPA Imposes Tougher Reporting Rules For Lead In Water
In communities that exceed the federal action level of 15 parts per billion of lead in water, utilities would have to replace a minimum of 3% of lead service lines annually, down from a requirement of 7%. That will give utilities about 33 years to replace lead pipes in their systems, up from a current pace of about 13 years, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, which represents residents and community groups against Flint, Mich., over its lead crisis from 2014 and 2015. (Puko, 10/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Murphy Urges Plan To Mitigate Lead Exposure In New Jersey
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy proposed a $500 million bond initiative to replace aging water infrastructure as part of a statewide plan to protect residents from potential lead contamination. The governor called on lawmakers to pass legislation that would allow residents to vote on the bond package in a 2020 ballot initiative. Mr. Murphy, a Democrat, also said he wants to replace all of the state’s lead service lines, which can leach lead into drinking water, over the next decade. (De Avila, 10/10)

The Associated Press: US Urges Shared Decisions With Pain Patients Taking Opioids
U.S. health officials again warned doctors Thursday against abandoning chronic pain patients by abruptly stopping their opioid prescriptions. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services instead urged doctors to share such decisions with patients. The agency published steps for doctors in a six-page guide and an editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association. (Johnson, 10/10)

The New York Times: Health Officials Urge Caution In Reducing Opioids For Pain Patients
After more than 300 medical providers, pharmacists, patient advocates and others emphasized these concerns in a letter to the C.D.C. earlier this year, the agency put out a clarifying statement saying the guidelines did not “support abrupt tapering or sudden discontinuation of opioids,” and warning doctors not to misapply them. The new tapering guide goes deeper, detailing the potential harms to patients who abruptly stop taking opioids and laying out factors to consider and steps to take before starting a taper. It includes several examples of tapering protocols. (Goodnough, 10/10)

NPR: Don't Force Patients Off Opioids Abruptly, New Guidelines Say, Warning Of Severe Risks
"It must be done slowly and carefully," says Adm. Brett P. Giroir, MD, assistant secretary for health for HHS. "If opioids are going to be reduced in a chronic patient it really needs to be done in a patient-centered, compassionate, guided way." This is a course correction of sorts. In 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued prescribing guidelines. Those highlighted the risks of addiction and overdose and encouraged providers to lower doses when possible. In response, many doctors began to limit their pain pill prescriptions, and in some cases cut patients off. (Stone and Aubrey, 10/10)

The Washington Post: New Guidelines On Opioid Tapering Tells Doctors To Go Slow
Millions of people in the United States — an estimated 3 to 4 percent of the adult population — take opioids daily. About 2 million people have been diagnosed with prescription opioid use disorder, according to HHS. There is a consensus in the medical community that these painkillers have been overprescribed and that many patients would have better long-term health outcomes if they cut back on their dosages and took advantage of other types of treatment, ranging from physical therapy to nonnarcotic painkillers. (Achenbach, 10/10)

The Associated Press: Judge To Hear Arguments On Stopping Suits Against Sacklers
How much members of the Sackler family should be held accountable for the role their company, Purdue Pharma, played in the nation's opioid crisis will be at the center of a hearing Friday in federal bankruptcy court. State attorneys general are evenly divided over whether to accept terms offered by Purdue to settle some 2,600 claims against it. About half of them say the proposed deal is too lenient to family members who siphoned billions out of their privately held company and stashed much of it overseas. (Mulvihill, 10/11)

The Washington Post: Appellate Court Rejects 11th-Hour Requests To Halt Landmark Opioid Trial
An appellate court on Thursday rejected a last-ditch request by Ohio to halt a landmark trial on whether drug companies are responsible for the opioid epidemic, ruling the bid did not meet the strict test for such an extraordinary move. ... Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, supported by a number of other states, had filed the first request to postpone or dismiss the federal case,. arguing the cities and counties suing drug companies have usurped state authority. Opening arguments in the trial are scheduled for Oct. 21. (Bernstein, 10/10)

Reuters: U.S. Appeals Court Will Not Disqualify Judge In Opioid Cases Or Delay Trial
A federal appeals court on Thursday cleared the way for a landmark trial over the nation's opioid crisis, rejecting a bid by eight drug retailers and distributors to disqualify the judge, and a request by Ohio and other U.S. states to delay an Oct. 21 trial. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati said U.S. District Judge Dan Polster, who oversees nationwide opioid litigation, had not created an appearance of bias against the drug industry through his rulings, public statements, and efforts to encourage settlements. (Stempel, 10/10)

Reuters: U.S. Judge Urges Parties To Wisely Use Purdue Opioid Settlement Funds
A U.S. bankruptcy judge on Thursday urged parties that will benefit from a proposed settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP to focus on addressing the opioid addiction crisis and avoid battling over the deal's billions of dollars. The outline of a proposed settlement that Purdue values at more than $10 billion was filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in White Plains, New York on Tuesday. (Hals, 10/10)

The New York Times: One Doctor. 25 Deaths. How Could It Have Happened?
Dad was dying, the doctor told James Allen’s family members as they clustered by his hospital bed. Mr. Allen’s family was stunned. He had suffered a heart attack and was on a ventilator in the hushed intensive care unit of Mount Carmel West, a Catholic hospital in a working-class corner of Columbus. But Mr. Allen, 80, had been stabilized, his family said. He could squeeze his son’s hand. His family still believed he would return home to his bedridden wife and his backyard tomatoes. (Healy, Farr, Feiger and Duffy, 10/11)

Reuters: Amid Vaping Crisis, U.S. To Issue New Advice For Doctors Focused On Lung Infections
U.S. health officials are preparing to release new guidance for doctors stressing the need to ask every patient with an apparent respiratory infection about their vaping history. The updated guidance will also advise physicians on how to diagnose and manage patients who may have both a lung infection and a vaping injury. (Steenhuysen, 10/10)

Reuters: U.S. Vaping-Related Deaths Rise To 26, Illnesses To 1,299
U.S. health officials on Thursday reported 26 deaths and 1,299 confirmed and probable cases so far from a mysterious respiratory illness tied to vaping. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 1,080 cases and 18 deaths from the illness. As of Oct. 8, confirmed deaths were reported from 21 states, including one each from California, Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Texas and Pennsylvania. (10/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Vaping-Related Lung Illnesses Jump To 1,299, With 26 Deaths, CDC Says
The vaping patients suffered injuries to their lungs that some researchers have compared with the mustard-gas exposures that damaged the lungs of soldiers during World War I. “For most acute lung injuries, it takes awhile for the injury to improve. The insult could be one quick strike, and yet the healing can take weeks,” said Louis DePalo, a pulmonologist at Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. One of Dr. DePalo’s patients who had been severely ill has recovered fully, he said, but one of his milder cases had been slower to regain complete lung function and might not get it back. (Abbott, 10/10)

The New York Times: Vaping Illnesses Climb Upward, Nearing 1,300 With 29 Deaths
Federal and state health authorities are testing vaping materials and studying tissue samples from patients in an effort to find the cause of the outbreak. They are particularly concerned about the huge amount of illicit THC products in circulation, which contain unknown mixtures of solvents, diluting agents and flavorings that may be toxic to the lungs. (Grady, 10/10)

The Associated Press: Vaping Fallout: Small Stores Suffer As Vapers Turn Away
The thousands of shops that sprang up in cities and towns across the country over the past decade to sell vaping products have seen a stunning reversal of fortune, with their sales plunging in just two months amid news reports that vaping has sickened nearly 1,300 people and killed 26. People who turned to vaping products to help them quit smoking have been turning away, even teenagers who used the products illegally, although the U.S. Centers for Disease Control says most of the people who suffered lung injuries from vaping were using products containing THC, a component of marijuana. (10/10)

Los Angeles Times: Americans Increasingly Fear Violence From People Who Are Mentally Ill
Political rhetoric that blames people with mental illness for spasms of mass violence appears to be seeping into the national psyche. Americans increasingly see people with schizophrenia or major depression as a threat not only to themselves but to others, new research reveals. That wariness even extends to those who have difficulties coping with everyday life but whose symptoms fall far short of a psychiatric diagnosis. (Healy, 10/10)

CNN: Ed Sheeran And Prince Harry Unite In Video For World Mental Health Day
Prince Harry and Ed Sheeran have teamed up in a video to raise awareness for World Mental Health Day -- with a light-hearted jibe at their own plight as Britain's most famous redheads. In the video, shared on the official Sussex Royal Instagram account, the famous duo discuss the issue of mental health, and urge everyone to "look out for anybody that might be suffering in silence." Yet despite the serious message, the video starts on a humorous note. When the pair sit down to discuss their collaboration, Prince Harry explains that Sheeran has the right "skill set" to create a song to help fight the problem. (Robinson, 10/10)

The New York Times: HBO To Tackle Mental Illness Stigma In New Campaign
HBO wants people to talk about mental illness. The network announced on Thursday a campaign to use its shows to increase awareness around mental health issues, highlighting characters’ struggles with conditions like depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder or substance abuse. (Harris, 10/10)

The Associated Press: Concussion PSA Compares Youth Football Dangers To Smoking
Everybody seems to be having fun when the kids in a new public service announcement are just playing football, until one boy is thrown to the ground and the background music turns ominous. Then, the coach starts handing out cigarettes."Tackle football is like smoking," a youthful voice-over says as a smiling, motherly type lights a cigarette for one of the pre-teen players. "The younger I start, the longer I'm exposed to danger." (10/10)

The New York Times: A Virus In Koala DNA Shows Evolution In Action
Koalas have been running into hard times. They have suffered for years from habitat destruction, dog attacks, automobile accidents. But that’s only the beginning. They are also plagued by chlamydia and cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, and in researching those problems, scientists have found a natural laboratory in which to study one of the hottest topics in biology: how viruses can insert themselves into an animal’s DNA and sometimes change the course of evolution. (Gorman, 10/10)

The New York Times: For The Most Vulnerable, California Blackouts ‘Can Be Life Or Death'
When Ben Faus went to bed at his home in the foothills above the Monterey Bay, he knew there was a chance his power would go out but he didn’t know exactly when. About 3 a.m. on Thursday he was jolted awake because his sleep apnea breathing machine stopped working. “All of a sudden, I was like, ‘I can’t breathe,’” he said. The decision to turn electricity off for large areas of Northern California inconvenienced and frustrated hundreds of thousands of residents, but it became increasingly dangerous for people like Mr. Faus and the state’s most vulnerable. (Fuller, 10/11)

Los Angeles Times: Gov. Gavin Newsom Slams PG&E Over California Power Outages
Gov. Gavin Newsom tore into Pacific Gas & Electric Co. on Thursday, calling the mass power outages “unacceptable” and the result of the bankrupt utility’s own long legacy of mistakes. “What’s happened is unacceptable. And it’s happened because of neglect. It’s happened because of decisions that were deferred, delayed or not made by the largest investor-owned utility in the state of California and one of the largest in the nation,” he said at a news conference. (Fry, Dolan, Luna and Serna, 10/10)

The Associated Press: Abortion Ban Opponents Conflicted In Louisiana Governor Race
At the height of Louisiana's debate over a strict new abortion ban, phone calls poured into Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards' office, from people urging him to jettison the measure and threatening to withhold votes for his reelection bid as he signed the new law. So many hundreds of calls bombarded the governor's office in opposition to the ban on abortion as early as six weeks into a pregnancy that workers couldn't physically log all the complaints into a computerized system. (10/10)

The Wall Street Journal: New York’s Public Hospital System Regains Financial Footing
The nation’s largest public hospital system is in the black after years of financial woes. NYC Health + Hospital, with 11 hospitals serving New York City’s neediest population, closed the fiscal year on June 30 on budget and with a surplus of $36 million, hospital officials said Thursday. Revenue was $7.51 billion and expenses were $7.48 billion. The city’s hospitals appear to be exiting a troubled period after a forced overhaul that began in 2016. State and federal budget cuts, plus increased costs in treating uninsured New Yorkers, forced the hospital system to tighten its belt and shrink staffing. (West, 10/10)

The Associated Press: Virginia School To Add Nursing Students Amid State Shortage
A Virginia university is planning to add new slots to its nursing program as the state struggles with a shortage of nurses. The Roanoke Times reports that James Madison University will add 23 students each semester starting in January. The school currently admits 90 students a semester. The newspaper says the admissions increase is meant to help address the state’s nursing shortage. (10/11)

The Wall Street Journal: Killings Show Limits Of New York’s Homeless Outreach
In the weeks before Randy Santos allegedly bludgeoned four homeless men to death in Manhattan, he was sleeping in an abandoned building on East 183rd Street in the Bronx. At the time, Lydia and Segundo Segarra, who lived on the Bronx block, hired him to perform odd jobs on their property. The first time he worked for them was unremarkable, Ms. Segarra said. But the second time, Mr. Santos looked lost, leading her husband to encourage Mr. Santos to seek psychiatric help at nearby St. Barnabas Hospital, she said. (Blint-Welsh, 10/10)

Los Angeles Times: Medical Marijuana OK At K-12 Schools In California After Gov. Newsom Signs New Law
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill that paves the way for parents in some California school districts to bring medical cannabis to their students at K-12 campuses, breaking with former Gov. Jerry Brown, who had vetoed similar legislation last year. The measure, signed late Wednesday, allows medical cannabis that is not in smoking or vaping form to be administered to students by parents on campus if their school board has approved a policy providing the access. (McGreevy, 10/10)

Los Angeles Times: Measles Warning At Arclight And Erewhon On L.A.'s Westside
Los Angeles County officials are warning that residents may have been exposed to measles earlier this month. Health officials have confirmed that a person who spent time at a movie theater and stores on the Westside has been diagnosed with measles. Considered one of the most contagious diseases in the world, measles spreads through coughing and sneezing but can linger in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves the room. (Karlamangla, 10/10)